Charles Hard Townes Award


The Charles Hard Townes Award of The Optical Society is a prize for Quantum Electronics — that is to say, the physics of lasers. Awarded annually since 1981, it is named after the Nobel Prize-winning laser pioneer Charles H. Townes.
Former winners include Nobel Prize laureates John L. Hall, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Serge Haroche, Arthur Ashkin, and Gérard Mourou.

Recipients

YearRecipientCitation
2020Toshiki TajimaFor seminal contributions in broad and novel plasma physics and laser-based accelerator physics, introducing the concept of Laser Wakefield Acceleration.
2019Alexander L. GaetaFor seminal contributions to chip-based nonlinear photonics, nonlinear optics in photonic crystal fibers, and nonlinear propagation of ultrashort laser pulses.
2018For advances in quantum-limited precision measurement in the Advanced LIGO detectors, leading to the first direct detection of gravitational waves.
2017For pioneering breakthroughs in the field of solid-state lasers by the invention of and fundamental contributions to thin disk lasers.
2016Robert W. BoydFor fundamental contributions to the field of nonlinear optics, including the development of methods for controlling the velocity of light, of quantum imaging methods, and of composite nonlinear optical materials.
2015Ursula KellerFor seminal contributions in the fields of octave-spanning lasers, frequency comb technology, and high repetition-rate ultrafast semiconductor disc lasers.
2014For seminal contributions to the science and applications of ultrafast optics and ultrastable narrow-linewidth lasers.
2013For seminal contributions to solid state lasers, in particular the growth, development, and fundamental characterization of new laser materials based on laser active transition metal and rare earth ions.
2012For breakthroughs in fundamental quantum optics, based on invention and/or development of experimental methods and techniques, and leading to groundbreaking applications in quantum information.
2011Wilson SibbettFor pioneering breakthroughs in the science and technology of ultrashort optical pulses including generation, measurement and the development of practical sources for applications in photophysics, photochemistry, photomedicine, engineering and communications.
2010Atac ImamogluFor his seminal contribution to electromagnetically induced transparency and pioneering work on quantum information processing with quantum dots.
2009Gérard Mourou For ground-breaking applications of high-intensity lasers to precision micromachining, eye surgery and relativistic light-matter interactions.
2008Robert R. AlfanoFor contributions to the discovery and investigation of supercontinuum generation and the development of tetravalent chromium-based tunable solid state lasers.
2007Serge Haroche For pioneering experiments in cavity quantum electrodynamics, starting with the observation of superradiance, leading to the twophoton maser, non-destructive measurements of photons, and decoherence of Schrödinger cats.
2006For pioneering work on ultrashort laser pulses and solid state lasers, and for the invention of the hollow-fiber compressor, leading to advances in extreme nonlinear optics and attosecond science.
2005Paul Corkum For key contributions to the understanding of the physics of atoms and molecules in intense laser fields and the application of these ideas to ultra-fast measurement techniques.
2004Erich P. IppenFor his many outstanding, pioneering and sustained contributions to ultrafast science and technology, and fundamental nonlinear optics.
2003David C. HannaFor seminal contributions to the development of coherent light sources and for leadership within the worldwide optics community.
2002Charles V. ShankFor the development of ultra short lasers from the near-infrared to x-rays, and their application to condensed-matter problems in chemistry, physics, and biology.
2001A. David BuckinghamFor many theoretical and experimental contributions to electro-optics and magneto-optics, including the invention and application of a direct method for measuring molecular electric quadruple moments.
2000For his outstanding contributions to quantum optics, characterized by originality and diversity, involving the interplay of theory and elegant experiments to elucidate fundamental problems of coherent optical transients, using atoms, molecules, solids and trapped ions.
1999Charles H. HenryFor fundamental contributions to the understanding of the optical properties of quantum wells, semiconductor lasers, and advanced photonic technologies.
1998Marlan O. ScullyFor his role in laying the theoretical foundation for laser science, free-electron lasers, and lasers without inversion.
1997For pioneering ultrafast optics in the 1.5 μm wavelength regime, demonstrating optical soliton propagation in fibers, and developing innovative soliton systems that have set records for high-capacity repeaterless data transmission.
1996For seminal and pioneering advances in the field of nonlinear optics and laser physics.
1995 For outstanding leadership and contributions to the field of quantum electronics over the past 40 years, which include pioneering the invention and development of titanium-diffused LiNb03 waveguides and revolutionary innovations in electro-optic modulators.
1994Joseph H. EberlyFor his contributions to theoretical optical physics, in particular, his work on coherent pulse propagation and superra-diance, atomic radiation theory, cavity quantum electrodynamics, and multiphoton intense field phenomena.
1993For his contributions to optical pumping and his development of the dressed atom method for describing electromagnetic interactions with matter.
1992For his career in quantum electronics, particularly his contributions to semiconducting, light-emitting sources.
1991For his pioneering contributions to solid state lasers and fiber optics, in particular, neodymium-glass and erbium-glass lasers, the first fiber optic laser, and for innovative contributions to fiber optic amplifiers and fiber optic lasers.
1990Herbert WaltherFor his fundamental contributions to the quantum electronics of atoms and molecules.
1989Daniel Joseph Bradley For his pioneering contributions to the fields of nonlinear optics, the physics of dye lasers, and the generation and detection of ultrashort light pulses.
1988Arthur Ashkin For original, creative, experimental, and theoretical work that initiated the study of laser radiation pressure and for continuing exceptional contributions.
1987Hermann A. Haus For his analysis of laser noise, the development of the mode-locked semiconductor laser, and contributions to our understanding of nonlinear waveguide interactions.
1986Yuen-Ron ShenFor his pioneering and continuing contributions to the field of nonlinear optics.
1985Stephen E. Harris For his contributions to the development of techniques for the generation of extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray radiation.
1984In recognition of independent pioneering efforts and continuing contributions in the field of laser metrology, ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy, and ultrastable laser sources.
1984John L. Hall In recognition of independent pioneering efforts and continuing contributions in the field of laser metrology, ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy, and ultrastable laser sources.
1983For his invention of the Q-switched laser, codiscovery of the Raman laser and explanation of stimulated scattering phenomena, and the theory of optical phase conjugation.
1982For his pioneering contributions to quantum electronics, including the discovery of many gaseous laser systems, particularly to the CO2 laser; his invention and development of the spin-flip Raman laser; his high-resolution studies for pollution detection in the atmosphere; and his contributions to acousto-optic techniques for measuring small optical absorptions.
1981James P. GordonFor their contributions to the successful operation of the first quantum-electronics device, the ammonia maser.
1981Herbert ZeigerFor their contributions to the successful operation of the first quantum-electronics device, the ammonia maser.